Individual Angels Codexery

Michael (archangel)

Archangel, warrior of God, and guardian prince of Israel.

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The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second-century BC Jewish works, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels.[1] He is the guardian prince of ancient Israel and is responsible for the care of the Israelites.[1] In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Michael—also referred to as Archangel Michael or Michael the Taxiarch—is an archangel who serves as God's warrior.[1]

Key facts and history

Michael is mentioned in the last chapters of the Book of Daniel, a Jewish apocalypse composed in the second century BC.[2] According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations.[3] In Islam, Michael, or Mīkāʾīl, is one of the four archangels along with Jibril, ʾIsrāfīl, and ʿAzrāʾīl.[4] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Michael's principal feast day is 8 November.[5]

In the General Roman Calendar, the archangel's feast is celebrated on Michaelmas Day, 29 September.[6] Revelation 12:7–12 in the New Testament explicitly names Michael as the one who fights against Satan and expels him from heaven.[7] The Epistle of Jude contains the second explicit mention of Michael by name in the New Testament, describing a dispute between the archangel and the devil concerning Moses' body.[8] The Quran makes only a single reference to Michael, and it pairs him with Gabriel.[4]

What the cited sources add

The Catholic Encyclopedia states that St. Michael is one of the principal angels and his name was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven.[9] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Christian tradition gives to St. Michael four offices: to fight against Satan.[9] The Catholic Encyclopedia reports that the pagans directed a stream against the sanctuary of St. Michael to destroy it, but the archangel split the rock by lightning to give a new bed to the stream.[9] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Basil and various Greek Fathers held that St. Michael holds authority over all the angels.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "It is so called in the Orthodox Church.}}{{dead link", December 2023; "St. Michael, the Archangel – Saints & Angels", Catholic.org; "Michael Description, History, & Feast Days Britannica", www.britannica.com, 2025-02-11; Asale 2020, p. 55; Hannah 2011, p. 33–54; Hannah 2011, p. 33–54; Barnes 1993, p. 54; Hannah 2011, p. 33–54; ; Bromiley 1971, p. 156–157; Hannah 2011, p. 33–54 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hannah 2011, p. 33–54; Barnes 1993, p. 54; Hannah 2011, p. 33–54; Collins 1999, p. 339; Collins 1984, p. 34–36; Hill 2008, p. 176 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer xxvi; "Michael" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "King, Daniel "A Christian Qur'an? A Study in the Syriac Background of the Qur'an as Presented in the Work of Christoph Luxenberg," JLARC 3, 44–71 (2009)", School of History, Archaeology and Religion; "Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement", Usc.edu; "Michael"; Noegel Wheeler 2002, p. 218; "Michael" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Icons and saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo 2006 p. 46; The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity 2010 by Ken Parry p. 242 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend by Richard Freeman Johnson 2005 p. 105 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barker 2006, p. 123; Bromiley 1971, p. 156–157; Bromiley 1971, p. 156–157; Bromiley 1971, p. 156–157 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Michael (archangel)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Green 2008, p. 18; Green 2008, p. 18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Michael the Archangel", www.newadvent.org. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Michael (archangel) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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